Friday, May 23, 2008

Erikkson awaits his fate

Sven-Goran Eriksson returns from Manchester City's post-season tour of Asia on Friday with his fate set to be revealed.

The Swede's future as manager has been the subject of intense speculation since it emerged City owner Thaksin Shinawatra was conducting a review of the club.

Former England boss Eriksson has declined to comment on the situation throughout the promotional tour of Asia, which included a 3-1 loss to Thailand Premier All-Stars in Bangkok and Thursday night's 3-1 defeat to a South China Invitational XI in Hong Kong - a game which could prove to be his last in charge.

The first of those losses was played out in front of Thaksin, with the dire display expected to deepen the former Thai prime minister's ire after an elaborate attempt to provoke the Thai public to adopt the Blues as their Barclays Premier League team.

Eriksson, however, focused on a summer holiday following a gruelling first season as a Premier League manager despite the imminent completion of Thaksin's dossier.

"It has been a very, very long season for all of us, especially for a lot of young players and a lot of new players in the Premier League," he said.

"I think everybody looks forward to a break now."

The 60-year-old, who has two years remaining on his contract at Eastlands, led City to a ninth-placed finish - their best campaign for three seasons - and secured an UEFA Cup spot via the Fair Play League, an achievement which could yet earn him a reprieve from Thaksin.

And Eriksson insists the future is bright at Eastlands after giving five of the FA Youth Cup-winning side their first tastes of first-team football on tour.